Teaching Meditation - The Mental Flashcards
What should you be conscious of when teaching your students?
That you do not become so deeply immersed in your meditation that you disengage with the class and that you don’t simply follow a script.
What can you use to help students develop mindful habits?
Distractions.
If there is an unexpected sound outside, a bird, for example, you may tell them, ‘Notice how the attention is taken away from the breath by the sound of the bird. Notice the sound the bird makes. Notice any judgements you may have towards this unexpected distraction. Now your attention is coming back to the breath.’
In doing so, the awareness of the mind’s tendency to wander and to become absorbed by distractions develops. This observation is the first step in developing mindfulness of consciousness, as mentioned in module one. This ability to notice the fact that we have been distracted or taken in by thought and/or judgement and to bring the awareness back to the breath develops the ability to be mindful enough not to be distracted by the distraction and to remain focused on the breath.
What should you keep in mind about cues during the practice?
That they are not too frequent.
Ensure that the cues you give are not overly frequent so that you can allow your students the space required to experience the meditation. If you are unsure, saying less is better than saying too much. Remember that beginners need enough cues to feel guided rather than confused and uncertain about where to focus.
What is significant about the choice of language during the practice?
That it is in the present moment.
The choice of language in the present moment also helps students to be mindful. Using the present continuous tense is a helpful way to do so. For example, you may say, ‘Noticing the breath passing over the tip of the nose’ as opposed to ‘Notice the breath passing over the tip of the nose.’ The first takes the student directly into the action and implies that they are already doing so rather than being instructed to do so.
What should you not make assumptions about new students during the practice?
How they are perceiving the practice.
Do not make assumptions about how students are perceiving the experience. For example, in some hypnotic sessions, the hypnotherapist will suggest that on awakening, the subject feels energised, at peace, and glad to be alive, for example. This may not be the case for your students, and hypnosis serves a different purpose than the aim of mindfulness, which is to be aware of what is without attachments. You may suggest the possibility of them feeling that way, for example, ‘As you are aware of the thoughts and the moods of the mind, there may be a sense of peace, or there may not be.’
What can you encourage students to observe from their first practice onwards?
To notice the space between thoughts, the stillness and awareness.
As students progress with mindfulness practice, it may become easier for them to notice the space between thoughts, stillness, and awareness. Encourage students to become aware of this from the beginning. For new students, this shift in perspective of becoming the observer may be a profound experience they have never had before.
In The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle describes his first experience of being truly present, which was extremely powerful for him. He discusses how, after that, he returned to the state of depression he had been in, and it was a long time before he developed the new state of awareness for it to become a habit.
After this initial experience of awareness, some people may tend to try to hold onto the experience. They may also expect that every meditation that follows must live up to that experience. It is important to manage these expectations.
Of course, everyone develops the mental discipline required to reach this state at will at a different pace. While ensuring students do not have attachments or expectations of the process, refrain from discussing it as though it were a faraway achievement that is difficult to attain since this is not necessarily the case and depends on many factors for each individual.
What is one type of resistance that students may experience?
A sense of inadequacy - due to feeling unsure whether they are doing things ‘right’.
If not addressed, this can lead to a lack of interest in the practice since the student may not want to tolerate uncomfortable feelings of self-judgement and may prefer to avoid the trigger altogether.
The best way to deal with this is to prevent it from happening in the first place by shattering any expectations that a new student may have. The student, before starting to practise, may be reminded that meditation can be different every day, and they will most likely not instantly experience a deep sense of peace and no thought or oneness with the Cosmos.
However, remember not to give the impression that it will be di#cult either; the student must find their own way, and the idea is to minimise any preconceptions they may have without inducing limitations. Some students may progress very quickly, for example, and the hindrance to that kind of progress should not be induced by convincing them it is a long and difficult path, even if this may be the case for some people.
Another manifestation of this idea of expectations is the tendency in modern society to want a quick-fix solution to all problems. Students with this mentality may be setting themselves up for frustration and disappointment by bringing that attitude into the class, and so, in the same manner, it is best to set the record straight from the beginning.
What is one of the ways that you can help students deal with resistance during practice?
Encourage them to be mindful of the resistance itself. Ask them to notice it.
Does it come in the form of thought? If so, what is the thought? Is it a feeling? If so, what is the feeling, and whereabouts in the body do they feel it? They can acknowledge that they are experiencing resistance. One way we can do that is to simply say to themselves, ‘resistance’. This acknowledgement helps us take a step back and become more objective and less entangled with thought.
As a student begins to master concentration and mindfulness, resistance can come in the form of resistance to change. This can be due to a fear of the unknown; if we have lived our lives having a particular experience, state, or belief, deconstructing it leads to new territory, and the mind can fight the dissolution of the old idea. In terms of biochemistry, the attachments to these patterns are like addictions.
Persistence while staying mindful increases awareness enough to allow emergence into the unknown. A student who has been practising enough to develop good concentration can apply the same process of directing attention to progress through this type of resistance.
What should you emphasise to students to implement about their practice?
To meditate daily and the importance of keeping a routine and meditating at the same time every day.
After several weeks, the habit will be established and will be a part of their day without them having to think about it.
Negative thoughts may lead them to believe that they cannot commit to the decision to practise or perceive it as a difficult adaptation to their schedule.
It is especially important that people with these tendencies give extra attention to forcing the practice to become a habit if they genuinely want to benefit from it. Encourage them to set reminders or do whatever it takes so that they start practising regularly, ideally every day. (Mindfulness of a lack of self-discipline helps to overcome it since it causes a detachment to the resistance to being self-disciplined.)
In the beginning, a meditation as short as five minutes can be enough to get the student into the habit. They can increase the length of their sessions when they feel ready. (However, advise students not to clock watch during meditations.) They may not enjoy it to begin with, but over time, with perseverance, the benefits will become known, so ensure that you remind them of that.
Generally, morning is the best time to recommend that students meditate, but do not present it as a strict rule. Meditating first thing in the morning can make a big difference in setting the state of mind for the coming day. Meditating first thing before the mental habits have kicked in can make a big difference in overcoming these habits.
Since it can be a long journey for many people, the best way to ensure that we persist is to be gentle with ourselves, especially when things are challenging, and to keep taking the next step. If there is resistance to meditation, the process of being mindful of resistance can be used here, which can also be positive reinforcement as the student is already being mindful in that moment, which shows them that they can do it.
